Happy hump day!! I'm having a decent time this week, which is surprising since it's my first full week at work in about 3 weeks. Maybe I should keep my mouth shut since it's only Wednesday! haha

Since it's Wednesday, it's the day of two of my favorite link ups! First up is WILW with Jamie at this kind of love:

I'm loving that MG loves me! <3

I'm loving that the weather has been so nice for so long this month! It's a little chilly today, and it looks like Mother Nature finally realized that it's the last day of November, but I've enjoyed the warm weather!

I'm loving that I'm playing a game of Words with Friends with MG's mom..and that she writes me in the little chat area. I think it's so funny, but also really cute.

I'm loving that I'm finally going to see Breaking Dawn this Thursday!

I'm loving that I got in a few workouts over the Thanksgiving break, which were much needed!

And, as always, I'm loving Pinterest, the best time waster there is! So, I'm linking up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh, how Pintersting!

As if I didn't already have a hard enough time NOT online-shopping (it's just so tempting when I get emails throughout the day from Loft, NY and Co, etc etc etc about all of the amaze-balls discounts they are having)....and then Cyber Monday hits.

Now, I work at a school, so me and my bank account LOVE a good deal. I did my best to resist the urge to even LOOK online at things yesterday because MG's party is this Friday and I have to charge his gift today or tomorrow, along with the cost of the party....I was really trying to be good.

I even went on Loft's website and didn't really find anything that I wanted (this may or may not be because I had already done a significant amount of damage shopping there in the previous weeks, so there wasn't much there that I wanted and didn't already have). But then, Coach outlets sent me an email.

I clicked it.

And now, this little gem is going to be making its way to my apartment sometime soon:

I got this baby for $90. Down from an original price of $268.

I had been eyeing it for a while, and with the discounts, I was seriously thinking about it. Thanks to my friend Trish, she encouraged me to bite the bullet, splurge and get this for myself as an xmas present. So I did. And now I will be banning myself from online shopping for a little while. Maybe. :)

Did you guys get any Cyber Monday deals?? Are you as addicted to online shopping as I am?? haha

Hey all...Happy Monday! Are you a little groggy like I am this morning? It was nice having those days off of work to be away and relax, but it is definitely not easy coming back! I need to keep telling myself: only three more weeks and then 3 weeks off from work! This will be my mantra over the coming weeks!

I wrote and told you all about my Thanksgiving at my parents' house, but this weekend I also went up to Philly to meet the rest of MG's family. They were throwing him a 30th birthday party for friends and family, and it was going to be a great time to celebrate my dude, and meet the rest of his family.

Was I nervous? Only slightly. I had met his mom, sister, and two nieces a couple of weeks before and it went great! The only thing that had me a little nervous was that it was going to be EVERYONE, and all at once! But, it was FANTASTIC! The party was SO much fun...everyone was SO nice, welcoming, friendly. I felt at home instantly.

It was fun being introduced to every new person (to me) who walked into the room, and I even got to meet one of MG's friends from HS and his gf (who are coming down for MG's party this coming Friday, but MG doesnt know that...shhhh). MG's parents rented a juke box that played ALL kinds of music. There was TONS of food, drinking, dancing....it was honestly the best time ever. It amazed me how quickly the night went by! Sadly, I was so occupied having fun, I forgot to take many pictures, but here is one from the night:

This is going to be one of my favorite pics of us....for one, because I think it's a good picture, and two, because it will forever be, to me, the picture of the night that MG told me that he loves me <3

Yes, the night got even better once we got back to his parents' house and settled in for the night. I'm not going to share all of the sappy details, mainly cuz I want them for myself, but let me tell you, it was incredibly sweet and I still have a smile on my face (even in spite of fighting over 5 hours worth of traffic back yesterday).

And when we got back, MG got a text last night from his sister, the one who I met this trip, that said: "It's unanimous: We all love Jenn!" It made me smile to know that they liked me as much as I liked them!

So, all in all, the weekend was amaze-balls, and I think I am still on cloud 9. Not a bad way to start the week!

Well, our Thanksgiving at my parents house was an eventful one to say the least.

I started out the morning in my bed, thinking, "Man, how am I ever going to know how to make a WHOLE Thanksgiving dinner whenever the day comes that I have to do such a thing?" I should have kept that stupid thought to myself. "Why?" you ask?

About 5 minutes into my mom prepping to make the delish squash casserole (I was fixing a quick bite to eat for breakfast before jumping in to help), she sliced her finger on the mandolin slicer. Bad. I hear "*gasp* I cut my finger. Bad. I'm gonna need to get stitches"....never a dull moment.

Not a hand ready for
cooking!

So, I run into my room, throw on jeans and a shirt and haul a$$ to the car to drive my mom to the ER, leaving my dad and Cooper behind.

An hour and a half later, my mom got some kind of gel stuff to close up her wound and a HUGE bandage. It was at that point that the realization hit: I'm making Thanksgiving dinner! EEEEEP!

Luckily my mom was ok, able to laugh at the situation (after a few tears) and still able to help me some (we put a grocery bag over her hand to make sure it stayed clean and dry, which was funny in and of itself). Usually I help with making things anyway, and would have had to help more this year since my dad is still out of commission in terms of that stuff (and many other things), but never did I think that that would involve hacking away at a turkey. I swear, you guys, I might be a vegetarian after that non-sense. No one should ever have to look inside of a dead animal like that. Ughhhh.

Yes, I am a wuss. I admit it. And I'm totally ok with it. I texted MG after the horrifying experience and informed him that if we ever had to make a Thanksgiving dinner together, that HE was in charge of the turkey. Not my thing. At all.

After all of the hard work, though, the food turned out pretty good, and I was more proud of everything because I did a lot of it. So, yay for that! And, I didn't OVERLY stuff myself...and I even went for a run today since the weather here is insanely unseasonal (low 60's)...of which, I have ZERO complaints!

It's been nice being home and spending time with my parents. My dad's been having a rough day today, with fluid getting back into his lungs, and is getting really discouraged. I'm trying to keep him positive but it's hard. I know he's frustrated with the recurring symptoms and his loss of appetite. It's just hard. But I'm glad I was here. I got a chance to see one of my friends for lunch (yay Trish!) and my other friend's new place that she just bought.
And Cooper got a haircut today...and he looks darling! (I think so, anyway, but I'm a littttttle bit biased):

Coop showing off his new haircut to the neighborhood

Look at that face!!! I melt...

Tomorrow I'm off to Philly to meet the rest of MG's family and celebrate his 30th bday a week early with all of them. Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly!! :)

Hope you all have wonderful and relaxing weekends! And don't get too stuffed on all of the leftovers!!! hehe

Happy Thanksgiving, bloggie friends!
I don't know about you all, but I'm still in some disbelief that Thanksgiving is already here. Where did the time go? Nevertheless, I'm glad to have the time off of work to relax and spend some time with my family and friends.

This year I have lots of things to be thankful for, so I thought I would write some of them down here. First and foremost I'm thankful that my dad survived his heart attack and is recovering. Although it continues to be a bumpy ride, he is here and I am SO thankful that I get more time to spend with him. I'm thankful that my dad's eye lit up when I came home for the holiday weekend, and that my presence can bring him a bit of joy despite some of the obstacles he is facing. I'm thankful that my dad was able to retire early and stay home with me when I was growing up. Although it wasn't a traditional arrangement, I grew up always knowing that someone would be around to take care of me, help me, teach me, or support me. My dad is a great dad.

I'm also thankful to have such an amazing mom. Not only is she my go-to person whenever pretty much anything in my life goes wrong, but she has been the rock for my dad. I know she is exhausted with all of the extra demands that have come along with caring for my dad after his heart attack, but she keeps on plugging away. I love how caring and loving my mom is--she is one of the sweetest souls alive and I'm lucky to have her as my mom.

I'm thankful for my friends, both real-life and bloggie, for their support through all of the ups and downs this year has presented. I truly appreciate all of the love, encouragement, comments, and support through the hard times, and the happy times. I would not have been able to get through the break-up of my long-term relationship, my dad's heart attack, my crummy job, etc without the support of you all. I hope you know how much it means to me to have each and every one of you in my life. (I wish I knew how to put a slew of pics in a row on here to showcase my buddies, but I am tech-stupid on that front) haha.

I'm thankful for MG, for coming into my life when I was pretty sure no decent man existed anymore. For showing me that there are guys out there who are open, honest, caring, want you in their life and want to share you with the people in their world. I'm thankful for the insane amount of support he has given me both emotionally, and with little things like taking care of Cooper, during the rough stuff the past month with my dad. He is one of the greatest guys I have known, and I feel incredibly lucky and thankful that he is part of my life.

I'm thankful for my little pup Cooper (who really isn't a puppy anymore, but will always be one to me). This little guy has brought so much joy and happiness into my life, and the lives of so many other people. When I've been upset, Coop is there to cuddle up with. No matter what the situation, my little guy is always there, with eager eyes and a wiggling little tail. I love that he has the sweetest disposition ever, that he is SO good with kids (so much so that I can bring him to the schools I've worked at), and that he is loving. I really lucked out with this one, and I can't imagine my life without him.

I'm thankful for this blog. It has given me a place to express my emotions, silliness and everything in between. It's provided me a chance to meet some absolutely incredible people, and I am so thankful for that.

There are a ton more things that I'm thankful for, but I don't want to bore you with all of that. I think I've hit on the important things.

Now, I'm off to help my mom with Thanksgiving prep, and to watch the Macy's Day Parade on tv! Wooo!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Happy Wednesday--and last day of the work week for most of us! I'm really excited to have some time off from work (yes I AM saying that after having been in San Diego part of last week for my conference) to just relax. Anyway, let's get to it with WILW, linking up with Jamie at this kind of love:

I'm loving that I will be able to be a lazy butt and be in sweats for as long as I want this weekend (and might have to be with all of the food I will probably be consuming). Although I was traveling someplace nice last week, I was still attending the conference which felt non-stop so I am ready for relaxation!

I'm loving that I will be able to spend some quality time with my parents over the next few days for Thanksgiving. My dad's spirits are low right now, feeling like he isn't making the progress that he should be making. Hopefully some time together will help a little.

I'm loving that I will be eating some really delicious food for T-day. Mmm, my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!

I'm loving that after today the weather is supposed to have sunshine in it, which we have been lacking in DC for the last three days. Coming from San Diego where it's sunny back to what feels like Doomsday just doesn't put you in the right mood to be at work. Or, to be out of bed in general haha.

I'm loving that MG's mom (and MG) were excited that I decided to go up to Philly on Saturday for his family's 30th bday party for him. I know it means a lot to him, and it will be nice to meet the rest of his family. He's already warned me that I will probably be hearing tons of embarrassing stories about him...and frankly, I can't wait! hehe

As always, I'm loving Pinterest, and the linkup with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh How Pinteresting!

OMG, how much I would pay to see an entire table of people wearing this...hahah. That poor child.

I have been on a serious workout slump since my dad had his heart attack a few weeks ago (a slump as in, it hasn't happened). During all of that, there was no time for the gym, the next week was hectic and then I was in San Diego. This week is proving to be just as difficult, and the crummy weather we're having in DC is making it hard for me to be motivated to do anything but put on a pair of sweats and lay on the couch. Needless to say, this Thanksgiving's eating festivities could be extremely fattening.

And, on top of that, I'm going up to Philly on Saturday to go to MG's 30th bday party with his family (his birthday is the next week, and I'm throwing him one down here). So, I'm gonna have to do my best not to gorge myself to the point of being the spokesperson for Good-Year:

blimp status

I DO love Thanksgiving though...I love how the time of year brings families close together and makes you appreciate the things that you have. And, the food is definitely a positive point. Some of my favorite foods from Thanksgiving are:

Stuffing: my mom makes THE best stuffing ever. She doesn't use a recipe, but goes through the spice rack and adds random amounts of different things as she goes. Somehow it always ends up tasting awesome. Maybe it's just that extra special "mom" touch! I especially love the crunchy stuffing. Mmmm!

Cranberry Sauce (jellied, and without the chunks): I don't know why but I love this stuff. Maybe it's the mix of tangy sweetness that counteracts with all of the savory stuff from the rest of the meal, but I love it. But, if it has chunks in it, I'm not touching it!

Squash Casserole: this might sound really nasty but it is AMAZING. It's a recipe my aunt used to make for us when we we go up to NJ for Thanksgiving with her and her family. I can't even think of a way to describe it, but it's SO good. Maybe this Thanksgiving I'll take pictures of the final product to show you all, and perhaps post the recipe, since it's seriously SO good. We make this for Christmas, too, and sometimes I beg my mom to make it at other times during the year when I'm craving it! (The pic to the right is as close a picture as I could find to what it really looks like).

Apple pie: myself and my family aren't huge pumpkin pie fans...something about the consistency of the inside just doesn't do it for me. I know, I know...it's like a human travesty. BUT, I do love apple pie...especially when it's topped with vanilla ice cream. To. Die. For. So, we still get our pie fix in, even if it isn't pumpkin!

Those are my favorites! (I'm totally drooling now, looking at those pics.) Don't get me wrong, I love turkey and sweet potatoes and most other things Thanksgiving, but these are the ones that I look forward to the most....and therefore am more prone to have second and third helpings of. I might have to bring some workout clothes to my parents' place so that I can jog around the block a few times to move those fat cells around a bit before and after all of this yummy food!

What foods are your absolute favorites of Thanksgiving? Do you have your elastic waist-band clothing ready?? :)

I made it back from my conference in San Diego and BOY was it nice out there! Altho the weather was kind of chilly one day, the rest of the time it was absolutely gorgeous. Enough for me to even think about moving there....even with Starbucks coffee costing more than it does here (which I couldn't have even imagined).
Here are a couple of pics I took while I was there:

What I saw on the walk to and from lunch each day...

The view from our hotel room on the last night as the sun set....*le sigh*...

Anyway, I will share more about my trip later, but in the meantime go over and check out my guest post about the interesting (amusing, weird, horrifying) people and things you encounter while travelling. There is a list of some of the people and things I encountered on this last trip and I hope you get a kick out of it! So, head over to Tales From Trish and check it out!

Happy Wednesday, friends!! It's the middle of the week, and as you're reading this, I am on my way to sunny San Diego!! But, I couldn't pass up the chance to do two of my fav link ups of the week, so why don't we just hop right to it!

I'm loving that I'm going to San Diego today, and that my work is paying for it! 5 days in sunshine and warmth? I'll take it!!

I'm loving that meeting MG's mom and sister this weekend went SO well. I was really happy to fit in so seamlessly, and that they were awesome. Meeting his family made me like him even more....it's nice knowing your guy comes from a good family, and seeing the love they have for each other!

I'm loving that next week is Thanksgiving! It seems like this month has been zooming by! I'm looking forward to my mom's awesome stuffing, the squash casserole that we make (it's SO good), cranberry sauce and pie. Mmm, I think I just gained some weight thinking about it!!

I'm loving that I decided to ask for a Kindle for Xmas. I think I'm going to go with the Kindle Touch so that I can read anywhere that I go. The Kindle Fire seems cool, but I dont really NEED it, and have pretty much everything else I need on my phone or my laptop. The Touch seems right for me right now!

And, as always, I'm loving Pinterest, and the link-up with Michelle at The Vintage Apple for Oh, How Pinteresting!!

This week I've been pinning....

Um, I LOVE this outfit. I'm gonna need someone to buy it for me. Any takers?? :)